Scratched Goggles and Winter Tuques
by Nerumi H
Summary: A hundred chapters of Gumi and Yuuma, on a hundred different themes. Fluff with a sprinkling of angst and humour. 56: EVERYTHING FOR YOU. ART BY: 竜宮ツカサ（マンボウの姉）
1. Introduction

**A/N: I found this challenge on the Internet and I thought it'd be fun to do-and I realised it's also a very good writer's block slaughterer.**

**I'm uploading these in order, but writing them randomly, so updates could be completely erratic. Ah well!**

**It's also for my favourite ship. One of my favourite ships. Some will be human AU's, some will be Vocaloid Androids, etc etc.**

**Enough talking. Enjoy!**

** X**

**1. Introduction.**

"I heard they have a new Vocaloid in operation here!"

Lily knew immediately that this was a terrible idea-it was a terrible idea from the first moment Gumi had dragged her into the lab, promising an 'exciting adventure.' Now Gumi had scampered far down the hall, deaf to her sister's earlier protests and insistence that they just go home. Her shoes loudly clapping against the floor of the echoing hallway, Lily caught up to the other.

Lily's fingers curled around Gumi's wrist, pulling her hand away from her plan, the heavy sealed door, the keypad she'd been reaching for. "_Meg_, let's just go. I thought we were going to duct-tape everything in Gakupo's room tonight?"

"I don't know a Meg," Gumi chirped, twisting around her arm, "And the night's not even done yet! Plenty of Gakupo-tormenting time left. Let's go check this out, please!"

Only glaring, Lily gave another tug on her sister.

"If we get found out, then it was all my fault, 'kay? Besides, last time I only got a warning, so we should be _fine."_

The door suddenly let out a hiss and slid open a fraction. Gumi jammed her shoulder against it to push it open even further, as Lily belatedly realised that while they'd been talking, Gumi had completed the code with her free hand. Goddamn brat. They were going to get in so much trouble. Maybe she'd deserve to get uninstalled and replaced with a better-mannered Extend with more rational smarts and bigger boobs, once they came out. Counting down the days.

Lily reluctantly let go.

Gumi rushed away as frantically as if she was a fish caught on a line, Lily shuffling along behind her, silently trying to reel her back in, but knowing it wouldn't work. The room they entered was dark until Gumi blindly found the floodlights, then the glass cases and computers and doors lining the back wall were all revealed with a flash and sharp edges off all the white surfaces. The cases were all empty, the plaques wiped clean, but there was a pack tightly placed together that Gumi could assume was where the Appends previously went.

She found a back door that had a clipboard and files hooked beside it—projects that were yet to be completed. She wondered which subject on this list was the one she'd heard rumours of, a Vocaloid who was under the strictest methods of operation, claiming all the attention and time the companies had to offer. Gumi had been occupied with the Extends for the past longgg while, helping around with the programming on occasion (she knew what worked for her better than anyone else!) so she hadn't really been paying attention to all these new-release Vocaloids from different companies. She broke open the door without needing a code this time, and flicked on this new light.

Lily's heels made loud clapping sounds behind her, so she knew where her sister was at all times.

Computers were dead, lining the walls, swivel chairs and wide spaces everywhere like the staff of the laboratory were expecting the two cases at the back to fall at any second. Gumi scurried to them, the glare of the light diffusing upon the surfaces as she got closer and clearer.

In the first one was a frail-looking girl, choppy black hair over an unadorned face that was plain and unrecognisable. Gumi glanced down, past her clingy ivory kimono, to a plaque that read VY1. She inspected the notes inscribed on a clipboard beside her—she was being refined for Vocaloid 3 programs. Why wasn't she just released as V3 in the first place?

She was still reading when Lily rapped her knuckles carefully against the other case. "Gumi, look at this one."

The green-scheme Vocaloid was immediately paying more attention when her actual name was used in the voice that so rarely pronounced it, for some reason or another. "VY2, right?" she guessed gaily as she hopped over, knowing she was right before Lily confirmed it.

On the other side of the heavy glass, Gumi suddenly couldn't help but stare at the unsuspecting android, her interest piqued at first glance. He looked nearly phantom-like, slouched there, white as VY1's kimono. But he wasn't scary, more like ethereal...a narrow solemn face, set pointed jaw, his eyes lazily closed as if at any second he would shake awake from this cat nap. Gumi was at an angle that she could see that, actually, his eyelids weren't completely shut—through show-white lashes glimmered eyes the colour of apple cider. His skin was the thing emanating the ghost-glow, impossibly smooth and softly transitioning to the blushing pink of his thin, curved lips in the shadows of a strong straight nose. A knit black hat clashed with the chrysanthemum colour of his boyish-long hair, covering the most of his forehead, ears, and brushing his eyes while sharp pale eyebrows tilted through breaks in the fringe.

"He's tall," Gumi was only able to murmur, peeling her hands from the glass like doing so too abruptly would rip them off.

"He's better-looking than Gakupo, that's for sure." Lily snickered when she glanced down at Gumi, reading her huge, fixed eyes and the way she lifted up her heels as a crush on its way of blooming. For a moment, she forgot about their otherwise impending danger of getting caught, admiring her sister's hilarious schoolgirl fascination.

Out the corner of her eye, Lily spotted a wavering security cam. So much for not being worried. She patted Gumi's hair, broke her away from the obvious visual spell of VY2, and said again, "We have to go back."

As she was pulled away, Gumi kept waving at the shut-down man in the glass case, and later she would swear to her siblings that she'd seen him look up at her.


	2. Complicated

**A/N: hi again. I suppose it should be noted that these will really vary in length-like the 1k first chapter to this little one.**

**I don't really like this one though, I may put up the third sometime soon. Also I typed it up and uploaded this on my iPod...let's see how well this works...**

**I had a different line at the end then I replaced it with a Star Wars thing oops.**

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**2. Complicated.**

Gumi shoved another earload of information at him, her infamous motormouth keeping true to its name. Yuuma just squinted at her all throughout the monologue, wondering if she'd slow down if he interjected fast enough to actually be heard.

She gasped and said in finale, "Did you get all that?"

He smiled apologetically. "I think half've it fell out my other ear."

She raised an eyebrow at him, her grin taking on a more disbelieving tilt. "What? It's not that hard to understand. Am I that hard to understand?" Her hand waved between them to the assortment of wires, metal this-and-that's, way too many objects he couldn't name. "I mean, how many ways can I explain how to make a Astromech?"


	3. Making History

**A/N: I keep trying to make Gumi nice but it doesn't work, ahaha.**

**I'm using these themes in the vaguest way.**

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**3. Making History.**

"...I'm not sure if that's gonna work."

"It so will!"

"I...well, Gumi, look at it."

"What about it?"

"Uh, well, just look at how cute it is."

"Are you _joking?"_

Yuuma extended a hand, but Gumi lurched the object in question away from him.

"She doesn't need your positivity germs," she sniffed.

From the embrace of Gumi's arms, the bloated little creature stared back at Yuuma, it's beetle-black, pinpoint eyes flickering in wonder. It squirmed around its awful-looking slimy tentacles, bobbing around cluelessly.

Luka was going to find out Tako was missing sooner or later.

Yuuma wrinkled his nose at it. He felt like it was his duty to his friend to rescue Tako from the fate that Gumi was going to befall upon it, but that required a lot of lying.

"I just think she won't pass very well for a dog."

Gumi groaned. "Duh! That's why I'm entering her in this contest. None of the dogs look like dogs. The last one that won looked like a naked bat! Tako is absolutely perfect for an Ugliest Dog in History contest." She lifted the bizarre creature up to her face, making cooing noises and rubbing her upturned nose against its flat face. "Aren't you! Aren't you just the most creepy-looking thing ever!"

Yuuma said carefully, "Uh, no, there's got to be uglier. No point even entering."

Indignant, Gumi spun Tako around so fast the creature looked momentarily dizzy, snapping, "Seriously, Roro? She doesn't even understand English, you don't have to be nice to her. Or are you just so Disney that everything's beautiful to you?" Her tone was her own typical mix of anger, annoyance and jest, the last part of which not many people could so easily detect. And she was still using his nickname, which was a good sign.

He took a chance and teased, "I think you're beautiful, don't I?"

Simply enough, he fulfilled Luka's wish, since Gumi was too busy engaging in the silent treatment and trying to sic Tako on him for every apology he tried to say.


	4. Rivalry

**A/N: Another short one. Really short. The shortest, I think. It's also stupid.**

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"Ooh, look at me~! I'm the leek princess of dorkdom! No one can scream as obnoxiously high as me! I'll prove it, in every one of my songs!"

Yuuma watches Gumi flounce around, her green hair abused into being trapped in two high pigtails, her straight fringe pinned back so only one chunk fell directly between her eyebrows.

"Oh, oops! Don't look at my kawaii panties!"

He smirks and shakes his head, letting her get this out of her system before the weekly ranks came in and they'd see which of the girls got first. At least this wasn't like last month when she'd dressed up like him.


	5. Unbreakable

**A/N: Lily and Gakupo are just gonna keep getting mentioned. Precious Internet Co family. Ryuto may even make an appearance. Speaking of him... Anomalies by Anon Fishy-chan is an amazing fic so go read it for some giggles. **

**Typed and uploaded this one on my iPod. I must say this so I am excused for any stupidity.**

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**5. Unbreakable.**

Lily whirled a thin stick in her drink, the cream she'd just added making tracks in it's wake, until she had light brown coffee and a star-pattern of cream on the surface. She wasn't watching her drink, though. Her eyes were on a pair of jovial Vocaloids in the cafe's corner.

She said to Gakupo across the table, "I never see them apart anymore. It's not even joined at the hip. It's joined at the everything."

Gakupo now watched them too, and added observantly, "Joined at the lips. It's strange, really, Gumi never used to dote on anyone in a fashion as severe as this."

Shaking her head, Lily gave her drink another swivel. With a smooth jesting tone that masked her jealousy over her sister's attention, she said, "Do you think if we sent Gumi to Mars where she belongs, the iron chain between them would break?"

Gakupo chuckled. "At most, I believe it would strengthen."


	6. Obsession

**A/N: I had this short written a while before this challenge, and decided it belonged in it. So it doesn't match perfectly with the theme but whatever.**

**Also! VY2V3! Anyone gonna buy him? I hope some good Vocaloid producers do. And Momocashew. That would be perfect. Hopefully Manbo too, and he learns to tune. Oops. Sorry. I think I'm like the only VY2 fan who hates anything Manbo comes out with.**

**iPod written and uploaded.**

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**6. Obsession.**

Upon entering the house again, he'd been expecting at least a hug from her, some excited exclamations, a few other things that would make him seem conceited if he listed down, and so his surprise was rationalized when he returned home after a three-day long tour trip and was greeted with silence.

Also an empty entry hall-and den-and kitchen-until he curiously (and admittedly, a little anxiously) travelled up the stairs to inspect more rooms. Yuuma could breathe a sigh of relief when he found Gumi curled up in the comforter of their bed, apparently fast asleep.

He relaxed into a gentle smile, lowering his bags to the floor while he sauntered over to her. Gumi was as softly beautiful as ever, serenity awash over her face in the silence of her sleep-at least, so he thought, until he brushed back the longer strands of her hair and discovered an earbud hidden behind it. The tiniest buzz of music came from it.

Yuuma figured she deserved a better sleep than what a cacophony of music could give her, so he slipped the bright orange buds from her ears, uncoiled the wires from under her wrist and finally found her iPod half-under her pillow.

When he clicked the center button to turn the music off, he couldn't help but notice the familiar title that flashed on the screen.

And the artist name.

It was him, of all people.

"Hey..give me that." Gumi's voice was groggy, and the second he glanced at her, her hand fell clumsily on the iPod. And then a clarity misted over her blue eyes, the expression setting her alight and splitting her face into an awe-filled grin. "Roro!"

It made him grin too, sliding down on the mattress to hug her to him and accept the 'welcome back's and kiss he returned. She exclaimed, rubbing one eye with a barely concealed lasting tiredness, "I missed you so much!"

Yuuma held up the iPod. "So I see."

Her eyes widened. "Hey! That doesn't mean anything."

"I can't believe I'm dating a fan. You just want me for my money," he exhaled, unable to mask his smirk.

"I downloaded those illegally, by the way, which just shows how much I /love/ you." She swiped for the music player l, so he reluctantly let her toss it away from them. "I don't care about your dumb career or money. It's just nice to listen to."

"Really nice?"

"Maybe."

Gumi released a little sigh. He said, "It's late. You should go back to sleep."

"But you just came back!"

"I'll still be here in the morning. The trip kind of wiped me out, anyway."

Gumi shimmied back her shoulders into a comfortable spot between his chest and the pillows, angling up her chin to fix him with a look. "Only if you sing, okay?"

Warmly smiling, he made a move for the iPod. "Something from one of your playlists?" he offered, and was promptly cut off by her reflexes snapping into action and grabbing his hand.

"You choose something good," Gumi said, folding her hands over his on her stomach, and that combined with the way she fit just right against his lanky body made him really feel like he was back home.

It wasn't tough to think of a song, not at all. Stroking back her wavy fringe, he began to slowly fill the room with the music, a song they'd composed together and that reminded him of the comfort of her almost as much as seeing other people try out their ridiculous inventions did.

He completed a verse, just then realizing that her part was up next. She noticed this too and mumbled words that sounded suspiciously like, "Somethin', something, something else..."

He chuckled but was soon right back in the song, serenading quietly until he felt her breathing smooth and slow down with the coax of sleep.

And he couldn't help but /carefully/ reach over on the bed, fingers closing precariously over the iPod.

He turned it on, swept past the password-less title screen, and opened up the artist that went by his name

Scrolled down the list, raising an eyebrow a little bit more with each dramatic swipe of his thumb

The very bottom read, '208 Songs.'

He didn't even know he'd sung that many.

Suddenly Gumi stirred-she made his resolve not to laugh even weaker by asking, "Why'd you stop singing?"


	7. Eternity

**A/N: I'm forgetting to update. Multi-chapter things are new for me. Hah.**

**Oh yeah I forgot to mention that there's ANGST ALL OVER THIS CHALLENGE AHAHAHA. This one isn't really good but #9 is one of my favourites.**

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**7. Eternity.**

"I forgot."

He lowers himself beside her on the cool ground, sifting stray rubble and shards of who-knows-what from his way, all different shapes but all metal, all the same dead rusted grey, like the shattered skeleton of some enormous behemoth that had long ago gotten busted up here. Or so she would say. It was just a mess to him. If it was truly long ago, he'd remember it.

He circles an arm around her slim waist, pulling her into him just slight and just the way he has for a long time. She's still dressed the same as always, from her orange vest to candy-teal boots, but her goggles have revoked the motto of everlasting durability that she'd forced upon them-smashed til one lens is completely gone. He asks, "You forgot what?"

He notices under one palm, she creates something in the dirt with a sharp triangle edge of glass. Drawing an image in the Earth logged with rain, spilled toxic oil from a thousand things left behind like trash-it looks choked there, but surely some energy, a current of fibrous electricity, is somewhere underneath? Energy, light, can never just disappear.

It's starting to look like it can, though.

When he concentrates, he can see the image is of a human shape, and by its unadorned character he guesses it isn't either of them.

She simply replies, in a voice he was scared to note had a tremor to it, "Everything."

And she swipes away the image into a warped storm cloud. It settles too quickly, too heavily, among the ground that may someday carry the twisted metal remnants of them.


	8. Gateway

**A/N: Haha. My summary lies. Here, have some more angst!**

**The theme is Gateway and I'm using it vaguely as like...the gateway to your future/heaven/hell, chosen by the path of your decisions. I was going to make it about death but that's for next chapter so.**

**Please read and review that would be great! And many thanks to the people who have so far!**

**EDIT: Autocorrect errors. Oops. Also, those '- -'s between words are intentional. Otherwise FFnet cuts out one hyphen and it looks like a link not a separation.**

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**8. Gateway.**

She wasn't expecting it to hurt so bad. No one she'd seen before, on TV or in person, acted like it hurt- -didn't lurch back their hand to the comfort of their sleeve, hiss through grit teeth, like she did.

Then again, the fights on TV were fake, and the punches thrown in real life were girls to girls. Stupid, sissy hits.

Not ones against full grown boys that could just as easily hit her back.

Gumi shuffled back a step. The mist of fear clouded over her like seawater as she watched Yuuma slowly lower his cupped hand away from where it had tried to guard his face and stem the flow- -blood, sunset red, tattooed his upper lip and chin in its warm October colour. It dripped like sticky rain.

She didn't know it'd be so bright, the blood, caught in the fall sunlight, reflecting back in his widely staring yellow eyes.

Sorry- -that's what she should want to say. Whisper it, yell it. Kindly back off, or maybe approach, innocuous and sweet and white, white flag.

He wasn't looking at her.

Sorry.

Sorry, but it was your fault.

Instead what came out of her chapped lips was, "Ow."

"Speak for yourself," was his reply, muttered.

Sorry, but you should have stayed out of my way.

Why wouldn't he just look at her, while she could not take her eyes off of him?

Sorry...but I hate when you argue with me like that. It's my life, I don't demand to know all your questions and answers so don't do that to me. I'm collapsing into all the wrong cracks but you can't pull me out, so back off...and let me find the places I fit the easiest.

And finally, lethargically, his face turned towards her. The streaks of blood bleached behind her eyelids like a remaining nightmare, and as much as she wanted to avoid the accusatory weight of his eyes- -accusatory, no, pain, hurt, more than she ever intended- -they lured her to stare into them anyway. As usual. The sweet cider colour of them was familiar, one she often found herself seeking comfort in.

The mist, terror, tightened and thickened into a strangling clutch of fog.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry, I have no excuse for what I did.

"When I warn you," he said, his voice blistering her skin, "this is what I mean."

And the air was too close again and she tripped the wrong way and snapped, "You want me to be some perfect- -obedient girl you can do whatever you want to? That isn't me, you should know that the best."

As if it would help, Yuuma wiped his nose with his bloody smear of a hand, then tried to scrape it all off onto his pants. It didn't completely disappear, it's odor strong and pigment deep. "I won't know you anymore. I /don't/." His voice was not angry, it was slipping too much to be angry. "Your mistakes are going to hurt you."

Like they've hurt /you/.

She didn't know what to say anymore.

The blood refused to quell, pouring out his nose and down his throat in a way she could almost taste herself. What if she put up a white flag?

Sorry wouldn't cut it, he might not know it, but she would.

His palms were glazed with candy-red, that made her fingers slip and slide when he would try to grasp her and pull her from where she'd fallen. It was a dark, dark fall, one that blinded and deafened, but at least she knew what it would feel like to hit the bottom.

Gumi pulled her fingers into the comfortable pose of a fist, and whirled away. She could let him yell his blood and tear-speckled disappointment at her all night, but there was no more chances to turn back.


	9. Death

**A/N: I am in love with the idea of Gumi being fascinated by death. Loooove. So it comes into play in a couple more chapters.**

**Also here marks the end of my angst streak. For now :)**

**Reviews make me feel useful. Please and thanks~?**

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**9. Death.**

They sit beside it, she in his lap, him stroking her hair. It's a practiced motion, mindless. The room is a glassy silent, no longer fogged with the sound of footsteps, voices, breathing, a throbbing heart.

Yuuma didn't know how silent it could be without him.

Gumi stretches out her hand towards it, fingers flexing like a fumbling child. He doesn't want to let her touch the body so he slips her hand into his own, captures it away.

She asks lightly, "Roro, does it scare you?"

'Does what scare me?' he wonders. 'The body, if it will rise again? The idea of the Reaper at everyone's heels? Or the fact that it will never come for us?'

"I think it's interesting," she muses. She's not even whispering like Yuuma feels like he has to, and her tone- -she's dreamy, wondering. "It's like, when you swat a fly, and it falls, and sometimes it bleeds really weird bug gunk. And it twitches a bit then it's dead."

He closes his eyes from the sight of their Master before he starts imagining him with bulging eyes and buzzy wings.

"It's probably sad. Cuz it never got to taste good cheese or see what autumn looks like. Or go to that university he really wanted, and marry that girl, remember her, the blonde one? Probably regretful. So much it makes him sick. But you and me?" She squeezes his hand as she tries to word her reassurance. "We're like- -like toasters. A toaster that just can't make toast anymore. But it's okay, cuz we already made like a thousand pieces of toast, and that's what we were supposed to do."

She twists around, and when he lifts his eyelids, she's smiling at him sweetly, the blue in her eyes glimmering with his reflection. Only his reflection. "I made cinnamon toast and you made rye. Or English muffins."

He tears his gaze away, swallowing razors. "We should call the morgue."


	10. Opportunities

**A/N: Yikes, this is overdue. I've just been occupied with other stuff and forgot to upload. This chapter's really stupid though so sorry for the long wait xD**

**Also wow I HATE the next chapter's prompt- -33%. If I still can't think of anything within the week I'll just upload one of my discarded Yuuma/Gumi stories and say it works.**

**X**

**10. Opportunities.**

There was an opportunity when she took him out shopping.

There was an opportunity when she pranced around the house in a towel.

There was an opportunity when she bragged about the possibly-non-existent car-shaped birthmark on her stomach.

When she would try on clothes, then grab scissors and take it off then and there to make it look cooler.

When she insisted to flounce around in one of his shirts and_ only_ one of his shirts.

And he eliminated every one when he was too much of a gentleman and pointedly looked away.


	11. Nature's Fury

**A/N: Uploading out of order because I'm too slow otherwise ._.**

**IDK these are not my best written because that's kind of why I did them, just if I felt like writing but didn't have a big idea to work on. So here we are.**

**X**

**43. Nature's Fury.**

"Yuuma! Yuuma, hey, get your butt out of bed! Come on! I don't want to have to drag you out!"

His only reply to Gumi's insistent, incessant calls and shakes of his shoulders was a grumbly noise into his pillow.

He did look quite comical, actually, like a teenager on some horribly relatable sitcom - he was awake, his long-limbed body splayed askew, arm hanging off the mattress, blankets rumpled as if someone had thrown two fighting cats on it or something, and his nose crushed oddly to the side against the fabric. Awake, yes, but not really up to responding. At least, not yet.

She grabbed one of his arms, tugging enough to get him to try and pull it back under the safety of his blankets.

"You'll want to see this! Guess what's happening!"

He mumbled, "You're interruptin' my sleep?"

"Someone's grouchy in the mornings! Roro, it's _hailing_, can't you hear it?" Gumi pointed to the bedroom window, where huge chunks of ice pounded against the glass. It had woken her up from a very amusing dream, and despite the disappointment of being taken out of it, she'd rushed to inspect the noise. The whole dark yard was punched with those grenades from the sky.

His blonde eyebrows scrunched together. "Cool...really."

"Yeah, cool! But isn't it weird? There's so much of it! I hope the birds flew to a safe place, it would kinda suck to be knocked out of the sky by one of those things bouncing off your head. Do you think that happens with planes?"

"Yeah, it's...awesome," Yuuma mumbled, and Gumi caught sight of one chartreuse eye slitting open to see her. "But, Gumi, sweets, c'n you please let me get back to this sleep thing I had goin' on?"

She was_ totally_ going to tell him, 'fine, I'll just be all alone then, sleepyhead!' but what came to her mind and out her mouth next was, "I wonder how your motorcycle feels about the hail!"

Now, _that_ got Yuuma out of bed.

And then ten minutes later, somberly back into it, Gumi scampering along behind exclaiming how she could totally fix the damage herself.


	12. Everything For You

**A/N: This one's pretty dark. Also plenty fun. I love exposing darker sides, even when it's on eternally sunny characters like these two.**

**Happy new year :)**

**I'll probably do italics later, cuz I'm on my iPod right now. /.../ means italics of course.**

**X**

**56. Everything For You.**

She hadn't forgotten about her fascination with death for a long time.

She'd pored over every volume of every tome, websites that he'd later pointed out were illegal, news articles and troubling, dramatisized movies.

He didn't like it. He tried to hide it but she wasn't an idiot.

Why? It was slightly taboo of a subject, she knew that much, but so was sex and drugs and rock and roll so what did he think she thought other people spoke of? Was it just wrong because she looked young-even though technically she was, to date, four years old, she insisted her mind was calculating her days as a sum of twenty years-or because of what she was?

An android, she hadn't forgotten. So then why was it so dangerous to peek into the intimate corners of that thing called demise, if it was never gonna happen to her.

At least, that's what she figured.

But soon, the world ran out of offerings for her and her curious love. Nothing was left, it seemed, and she understood death no more than before. She needed something else in her big puzzlement of the world- -and even though she technically had eternal time, she wanted it /now/.

And she told him that one night, drawing in her blueprint booklet for something she wasn't truly aiming to finish. He glanced over the spine of his pretentiously-sized novel.

"Why?"

"Why not? I'm not done searching, Roro. Nothing's giving me my answer." She cringed at the continuous wave of loss she seemed to be plagued by at every mention of her love, not her /true/ love because that was Yuuma. But with Yuuma...her path wasn't him. Her direction was spirit-bound, and every time she found herself

without any satisfactory solution, it was a blow to her compass.

Gumi concluded, "I'm so confused without it. It's like I've searched forever and there's one last thing, way up, up, up. And I know it's important and will fix me. And you're the only one tall enough to reach it. But you won't."

He knew this well. She was blaming him, like she blamed him for almost everything that hurt her- -and when it wasn't him, it was her loving sister or brother. He knew she could be wrong and selfish and painful when she bit down like this, but the way her voice let go of all energy and confidence at the words, was a unforgiving razor at his throat.

He'd heard her complain about this for a long time.

Complain, whine, moan, bitch, cry, mourn, gasp, shatter.

The next step was death.

She loved it but he couldn't let her fall into the trap, herself.

Breaking, splitting, until nothing remained but these dreams and his blame.

His fault.

"Okay. Come on."

X x x X

She was alight. Shadows dispersed at her presence, long claws of the buildings retreating when they saw that dazzling smile on such a beautiful face. They didn't want to ruin her fun. They chased them as the two androids continued down the streets.

They stuck in Yuuma's shadow, eager to join, but they were weighing him down. He wished they'd stay behind or continue to grate at Gumi, if only to change her mind.

Have her meet a thing she truly loved and have it die away, and let's see if she cared so much anymore.

She was on his arm, footsteps as eager as ever, splashing sunlight through the alleys. He remained silent, even if he knew she wanted words, reinforcement, encouragement, a shared ecstasy.

He wished for words, but nothing felt quite right. Certain things raked his throat raw at even the simple prompting of his thoughts constructing their form. To speak them, break the oath of his silence, would make him bleed.

Does he ask how she feels?

How would a young girl feel?

He knew the answer. Horrified.

But Gumi, his Gumi, she was wide-eyed and alert and bursting, bursting.

And that was enough to give him the strength to pull all those shadows and the weight in his chest.

It was late evening, so the last of the people were heading home or heading out. They passed into a industrial neighborhood, where the shadows stretched enormous-and Gumi found someone.

She pointed and whispered, voice shivering from the anticipation that was so very close, "There! Him. Why about him? Or should we find a girl? That's more romantic."

"What you want."

"I want someone with power. They're from storybooks and myths."

If it would keep this happiness inside her like a fairy light, he would strike down the country.

Wouldn't he?

"He's a worker in the construction unit there, I think," Yuuma said slowly. He sounded like little more than a breath in a hollow box. "Good enough?"

"Awesome. Why's he so late, though? If he's drunk, I say we get another guy. And if he's really creepy. If he deserves it, then we're not really making a difference, are we?"

So many questions. They approached the heels of the man finally-Gumi giggling, hissing occasionally at Yuuma to stay quiet, even though his last words seemed to have been uttered years ago.

For once, he was glad for the missing heart inside his cold, skinny chest, for surely it would have choked him as the man finally turned around and found the bright-haired couple a few meters behind.

He was a tall guy, Yuuma noticed, maybe six three or four. Decently filled out, dark dark hair that curled at the wrinkled collar of his flannel. Youthful. Headphones dangling from his ears. A dark shade along his jaw echoed unshaveness and a braided orange necklace with a silver token served as symbol for his faith.

Yuuma had shown Gumi religion once, almost convinced it would set her mind at ease. Catholic. Muslim. Buddhist. The spirits. Anything he could offer her, as it always was.

She was interested for a little bit, then claimed it just made her more confused. Not before reading through every page and every documentary she could get her hands on.

Books weren't enough. She wanted something she feel the warmth of in her hands, not the blankness of each page.

The man had stopped.

Gumi couldn't help herself. "Hey!" she called, pulling Yuuma further towards him. She flashed him with that blinding heartthrob smile.

He gave her a hesitant one back, his eyes flicking from her and Yuuma. Wary. Understandably. Was she acting suspiciously? No. It was him. If this man ran off it would be Yuuma's error.

He was going to leave.

Escape.

If he left, Yuuma feared Gumi wouldn't make it til morning.

He slipped the knife from his belt, slow, measured, each inch another shade lost from the man's face.

A giggle rising to Gumi's lips.

And for her, he plunged the weapon down.

He was blocked in a desperate attempt by the victim, but no matter how much strength he owned, Yuuma was a machine, a machine deeply in love and scared and strong, and he had more power inside him.

Yuuma punched him in the gut with his free hand, hard as he could, earning a split second of tripped concentration so the knife could continue its trajectory and sink into his ribs.

And Gumi shortly laughed when the man began to choke, submitting to a spasm of shivers, the cloud of pain.

The shadows applauded him and Yuuma slipped the knife out from its home.

The victim collapsed to the concrete, his necklace chiming loudly before his heated breathing shifted it between his body and the ground and into silence. He was shaking. He was slipping. His hands were trying pitifully to stem the injury, not trying to grip the edges of the world he was falling from.

Gumi crouched down, and pushed him roughly onto his back. She stared into his eyes.

Intently. She was searching for something there. She knew about terror and didn't care for it, so what was she waiting for?

Yuuma sunk the knife into his flesh once again, every layer and organ it pierced not numb against his fingers as he pushed at as far as it would go, slower, further, shivering, splashed with the warmness that poured out.

Disappear, he wanted to whisper. Please let go. For my girl. It's all for her- -let go for her.

For all her sick dreams and wishes and fascination and love and fictional heart song.

For the way she was losing them.

For his fear that if she couldn't get her answer, she'd chase it so far that she'd put a bullet in her own head.

Let go.

She reached to touch the struggling nameless man, but Yuuma automatically held her wrist before it descended.

He didn't want her to dirty her hands in the ugliness.

She could watch and learn, but she could never be that close.

...That's what he wanted.

This wasn't about what he wanted.

He let her go and twisted the knife as sharply as he could.

/Let go, like I have./

And with his wish, the man's dark eyes frosted, swept away in the ragged breathing and pulsing blood. Gumi leaned forwards over him, engrossed-so beautiful, so enthralled in the loss.

And her hands cupped his face, twisting it this way and that, like his soul would slip out an ear if she did it enough.

Her breath skipped.

She was smiling.

The pieces were back together now, weren't they?

X x x X

Later that night, he lays in bed, skin raw with the way he'd tried to erase all trace of the murder from his self. Gumi is perfect and ivory, flawless, as usual, her small fingers twirling in his hair. Stroking gently right to his scalp.

Warm. Lovely.

He wished she wouldn't touch him.

He might cave in.

"I think I figured it out today. Thanks to you, Roro~."

He closes his eyes to find blades on the inside.

"Thank you. I knew you'd do it, because you're my Yuuma, my knight and my prince and my soul."

"I know."

Let go.


End file.
